Trump is not joking about his intention to take the Panama Canal and Greenland, he is considering military action.

On January 7, US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of using military or economic action to pursue control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

Trump is serious about wanting to take control of the Panama Canal and buy Greenland. (Source: AOL)

According to CNBC , at a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Mr. Trump reiterated his ambitions for the Panama Canal and Greenland: "We need them for economic security."

Asked if he could guarantee the world that he would not use military or economic coercion in trying to gain control of the two regions, President-elect Trump said: "No, I can't guarantee you either of those things... The Panama Canal was built for our military. I'm not going to make that commitment."

The 47th occupant of the White House said he would impose tariffs on Denmark if the country rejected his offer to buy Greenland.

Earlier in the day, Trump's son Don Trump Jr. made a private visit to Greenland.

Since winning the presidential election in November 2024, Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed his ambition to annex territories, especially the Panama Canal and Greenland.

With the Panama Canal, now controlled by the country of the same name, Mr Trump has criticised what he calls unfair fees charged to US ships passing through the vital waterway, while also alluding to China's growing influence.

The president-elect declared that if Panama cannot ensure "safe, efficient and reliable operations" of the canal, "Washington will demand unconditional return to the United States full control of the canal."

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has ruled out any reduction in fees, denying that China has any influence over the vital waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and resolutely asserting: "There is no possibility of discussing anything to review the legal-political reality of the canal because there is nothing to talk about. The canal is Panama's, period."

Regarding the island of Greenland, a self-governing land of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Nordic country's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared on January 7: "I don't think fighting each other with financial means is a good way when we are close allies and partners."

Officials in both Denmark and Greenland have denied claims of interest in buying the world's largest island, which lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and near the North Pole.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/khong-noi-choi-ve-y-dinh-gianh-kenh-dao-panama-va-greenland-ong-trump-tinh-den-ca-hanh-dong-quan-su-300074.html